His Eminence, Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, delivered the two Friday prayer sermons at the Imamain Al-Hassanain Mosque, Zul Hijja 22,1445/June 28, 2024. Several prominent religious scholars, dignitaries, and hundreds of believers attended the Jumu’a prayer. Following is a summary of the sermons.

The First Sermon

Allah, the Most Exalted, says in His Glorious Book:

The truth is from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters. Then whoever argues with you about it after the knowledge has come to you, say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.  Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth.

 

We recall on the twenty-fourth of Zal-Hijja in the tenth year of the Hijra an important event in Islamic history, which is the day when the Prophet (p.) engaged in Mubahala (mutual invocation of curses) with the Christians of Najran,  which at that time, represented the center of the Christian faith in the Arabian Peninsula.

 

This happened when the Prophet (p.) sent a letter to the bishop of Najran, Abu Haritha bin Alqama, and to its people, inviting them to Islam. He said in it: “In the name of the God of Ibrahim, Isaac, and Jacob, from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to the Bishop of Najran and the people of Najran,” and then he recited Allah’s words: Say, ‘O People of the Book, come to a word that is equitable between us and you – that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.‘ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].’ I invite you to worship Allah instead of worshipping the servants…

 

On that day, the bishop of Najran responded to the Prophet’s (P.) invitation and sent a delegation of sixty prominent church men to learn about this religion and to engage in dialogue with the Prophet (p.). The Messenger(p.) received them in his mosque in Medina, which reinforces the juristic opinion that there is no objection to the People of the Book entering mosques.

 

Then, the dialogue began with the Prophet (p.) pointing out that his message is part of the series of divine messages: {Say, ‘We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Ibrahim, Ismael, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him.‘

 

He then clarified that the prophets sent by Allah to deliver His message to the people were humans with all human attributes, which is an honor for them, and that they had a direct or indirect relationship with Allah through revelation. This applies to Jesus (a.s.), who spoke about himself when he spoke in the cradle, saying that he is a servant of Allah and His Messenger: {He said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive  And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.’

 

At this point, the head of the delegation of Christians from Najran intervened, saying: “But he is the son of God, if he is not the son of God, whose son is he?” The Prophet (p.) then recited Allah’s words: {The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him.}

 

The divine power was evident in his birth when Allah created him from a mother without a father, similar to Adam (a.s.), about whom Allah said: Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was. If his birth without a father necessitates that he be considered the son of Allah, then Adam is more deserving of this, as he was created without a father and mother.

 

The head of the delegation then said: “If you say that Jesus is a servant of Allah and that he does not possess any benefit or harm for himself except by Allah’s command, but did he not raise the dead, heal the blind and the leper, and inform people of what they eat and what they store? Can anyone do this except someone who possesses divine attributes?” The Prophet (p.) replied: “What happened with Jesus was miracles, similar to the miracles of other prophets…These are not personal abilities. Allah the Almighty was careful to mention in His words that these miracles were by His permission so that no one would think they were personal abilities of Jesus. He said: {And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah. And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.‘}

 

The discussion continued, with the delegation from Najran asking what was on their minds, and the Prophet (p.) presenting them with clear evidence and firm proofs until it finally became evident that no one in the delegation wanted to acknowledge the truth that the Prophet (p.) was calling them to.

 

After seeing their reluctance to accept his reasoning, the Prophet (p.) invited them to what Allah had commanded him to: to engage in Mubahala which means  that the two opposing parties gather and each party prays to Allah Almighty to bring down His punishment on the one who sees the truth but opposes it. This is expressed in the holy verse: {Then whoever argues with you about it after the knowledge has come to you, say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.’}

 

The Christians of Najran had no choice but to agree.

 

The meeting ended, and the delegation from Najran went to deliberate on what to do. The head of the delegation said, “The man has come to you with a final decision on the matter between you and him. See whom he brings for the Mubahala. If he brings many people and those of high status, this is the way of kings, and we will engage in Mubahala. But if he comes with a small group of his companions or specifically his family, as is the habit of prophets, then we will not engage in Mubahala. For he would not bring his family and close companions unless he is truthful…

 

In the morning, while the groups were lining up for the Mubahala, a voice was raised saying, “Allah is the Greatest,” and behold, the Prophet (P.) had come holding Al-Hussein and taking Al-Hassan by the hand, with Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s,) and Fatimah behind him.

When the Christians of Najran saw that these four alone were those whom the Prophet (p.) would engage in Mubahala with, they decided not to enter the Mubahala and agreed with the Prophet (p.) to remain as they were, to organize their relationship with the Islamic state by respecting its laws, and to guarantee their citizenship rights, freedom of belief and worship, without interfering in their civil and church affairs.

 

Dear ones:

This incident came to establish two matters; firstly, the nature of the relationship that Islam wanted to govern between Muslims and Christians. It is a relationship built by Islam on affection when He said: And you will find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe are those who say, “We are Christians.” and on working together on common faith grounds, and on conducting dialogue free of tension and agitation, but in the best manner as He said: And do not argue with the People of the Book except in a way that is best.

 

Secondly, it indicates that Mubahala, with its intentions, can be adopted as a method in the relationship between differing parties. When dialogue does not lead to a result and each remains in their position, they entrust the matter to Allah to take over, punish the denier for their denial, and the one who rejects the truth for rejecting it. If this occurs, it contributes to reducing tension.

 

Finally, this incident indicated the status of the Ahl al-Bayt .It demonstrated that Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein are the sons of the Messenger of Allah, in contrast to those who said that the sons of his daughter are not his sons. It showed that Fatimah is the Lady of the women of the world and that Ali is the self of the Messenger of Allah, the Most Exalted,.

 

May Allah make us among those guided by the path of the Messenger of Allah, and among those who follow the guidance of the pure and righteous Ahl al-Bayt, and guided by their guidance, which is the way to avoid deviation and misguidance.

 

 

  The  Second Sermon

Worshippers  of Allah, I advise you and myself

with the advice of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) to us, when he said: ‘Indeed, every follower has an imam whom he follows and is enlightened by his knowledge. Indeed, your Imam has sufficed with two worn-out garments from this world. Indeed, you cannot do that, but help me with piety, striving, chastity, and righteousness…

 

With this, we support Ali, and with this, we express our love and loyalty to him, and we deserve to belong to him, and with this, we become more capable of facing challenges…

 

Starting with Gaza, where the Zionist enemy continues to commit massacres and systematically practice policies of genocide  and destruction of life’s landmarks, aiming to complete its control and impose its dominance, while trying  to extend it to the West Bank to execute its plan of obliterating the Palestinian cause…

 

This is happening amidst the ongoing support that this entity still receives from the supporting countries, especially from the United States of America, which continues to supply it with weapons and ammunition, and provides it with political and legal cover that prevents it from being touched or condemned for its crimes that shame humanity. As for the Arab and Islamic world, it is still retreating from performing its national and religious duty, which calls for standing with this people and bearing some of the burdens under which they groan.

 

At this time, this people continue their resilience and resistance, making significant sacrifices that prevent the Zionist entity from achieving all its goals and regaining the prestige it lost on October 7, deepening its crisis politically, economically, and security-wise.

 

In the face of what is happening, we salute the resilience of this people and the bravery of their resistance, which offers lessons in heroism and sacrifice, and in the ability to defeat this entity. We renew our call to stand with them and support them by all means, and not to leave them alone in their battle…

 

In addition, we highly appreciate all those who fulfill their duty by supporting this people and making sacrifices in this path…

In Lebanon, where the resistance continues, along with its people, to support the Palestinian people’s cause, driven by their national and religious sense, which calls for supporting the oppressed, providing them with aid, and not letting them down. From a national sense, if this entity achieves its goals in Palestine, it will not hesitate in the next stage to target this country, as it is preparing for it and still conducts maneuvers simulating attacks on Lebanese cities and villages, and continues to threaten all of Lebanon.

 

The resistance is proving every day its capabilities, some of which have been revealed and much remains unrevealed, making this enemy fear it, as expressed by Zionist political and military leaders who understand that engaging in this war will not be a walk in the park for this enemy and will be very costly for them, possibly deepening the defeat they seek to escape from. While we hear increasing talks about the enemy’s desire to invade Lebanon or certain areas, we still see it as part of the psychological warfare conducted by this enemy, hoping to curb the resistance and obtain concessions from Lebanon for its security and the security of its settlers, which it could not achieve on the ground. Nevertheless, we call for caution and constant readiness for the treachery of this enemy, which we fear might risk a wide-scale war, deluding itself into regaining its prestige and deterrent power…

 

 

At the same time, we renew our call for strengthening internal unity and not allowing any voice to harm this unity and threaten its resilience, which remains the main pillar in facing what is happening…

 

We do not deny that there are differences on many issues related to internal or external perspectives, but we call for unity in this difficult stage where Lebanon faces a fateful challenge to its security, stability, and sovereignty. As we said earlier, it should not emerge weak from it.

 

Hence, we renew our call to religious and political leaders to be faithful to the values they carry and to refrain from anything that threatens internal unity or undermines any point of strength in this country, regardless of differences, it is necessary to appreciate its role in liberating this country and standing against those who threaten it, making significant sacrifices in this path.

 

Finally, on the fourth of July, we will commemorate the fourteenth anniversary of the departure of the Sayyed , who  continues to live with us through all our issues and concerns, and despite his absence, we still draw from his words and stances that instill in us a sense of pride, freedom, dignity, and refusal to submit, be broken, defeated, or humiliated. They provide us with awareness and openness, and we continue to feed from his abundant legacy in thought, jurisprudence, society, politics, ethics, and leadership in institutions and human service for all humanity…

 

Out of loyalty to those who were loyal to us and our commitment to his approach and our eagerness to continue what he started, we will be present on the fourth of July for the commemorative ceremony that will be held for him, where you will be the callers to it, the motivators for it, and the workers for it…